Well, this will be different for everyone, as each therapy using the CAT approach is unique, based on the dfficulties each person brings and their own individual history. However the CAT approach will have many aspects in common, through the overall structure tof therapy and the tools used.
We are grateful to individuals who have shared their experiences of engaging with Cognitive Analytic Therapy and allowed us to publish their accounts. Some were offered for our website and others have written for our journal Reformulation over the years.
Several first hand accounts of CAT have also been published in books, videos and podcasts, and we share some links below.
If you too would like to share your experience of CAT therapy, please contact us.
"As I progressed on my CAT journey, I came to see the deeper story sitting underneath that surface pattern."
Stories Are Powerful
"I found that the visual aspect of the therapy was essential in helping me to put my journey into a meaningful story."
Talking myself into and out of Asperger's Syndrome: Using CAT to rethink normal
"The therapy for me seems to have opened up lots of little boxes, in which each had a part of a puzzle, which now seem to all fit together, showing me a lovely picture."
Goodbye Letters
"Essential seeds were sown - I learnt a lot about myself – about day to day management, as well as the long term."
A suitable case for treatment - CAT and diabetes
"When you learn in therapy that sadness and anxiety don’t get worse if you attend to them, it becomes easier to focus in on them without fear."
Revisiting CAT at a Time of Coronavirus
"I don’t think the sad side of my experience could have been prevented but I was certainly helped through it by virtue of my therapist having clear boundaries, strong ethical practice and confidence in her decision making."
Letting Go of My Therapist